Students of Color at Columbia Law School have been granted a postponement of their final exams after writing the administration and asking for "an emergency event" to be held yesterday, Dec. 8, to discuss the mental trauma they were experiencing over the Michael Brown and Eric Garner case. (Michael Brown was shot by a police officer in Missouri in August and Eric Garner was choked by a police officer in New York last year. Both men died as a result of the encounters.) This is my response:

Dear students of color at Columbia or any other law or any other school, No. Scratch that.

Dear people of color, students or otherwise,

I was in New York City when the Ferguson decision was announced. I was a little more than slightly frightened at the idea of being in the same city as the protests that ensued, especially as I watched fire truck after fire truck after fire truck leave the station to prevent riots as I walked back to my hotel room from seeing Phantom of the Opera. I was more than on my guard as I walked back to my hotel room with my 18 year old "little sister."  How was I going to respond if the need arose to protect my little sister because someone decided we deserved to be attacked because of "white privilege?" And, once I had responded, was I going to get a fair trial if I had people of color on my jury? Or would I be assumed guilty because I'm white? Sounds ridiculous? It is. Now switch the colors and see the similarities in the victimized role you're trying to portray.

A few days later I obeyed the orders of more black cops than white cops as I tried to find a spot where I could see my little sister perform in the Macy's day parade and they were trying to keep order. Did I do it because they were black? NO! I did it because they had an NYPD badge. That's how it should be. Black, White, Zebra, or Purple doesn't matter in that situation. The badge and trying to protect our freedoms and maintain citizen's safety does. It's unfortunate, and each case should be carefully regulated to keep the police honest, but sometimes the safety of the masses costs the life of the one.

I know there are people of color who suffer. I rode the subways. I walked the streets. I saw the homeless and my heart ached at my inability to help them. I can't imagine being in that situation and I will never pretend I can. But, there are also white people who suffer. Can you and I stop fighting and join our efforts to help those who are suffering instead of trying to annihilate the other? I think we'd be more productive.

Actually, I have an idea. Let's stop scaring each other. Let's stop traumatizing each other. Let's stop being victims. Let's work together for solutions. Let's join hands and find peace and healing. Let's start wording our letters to our schools, our words to the media, and our thoughts and sentiments from person to person and not from black person to white person. Let's ask for the "emergency meetings," but let's call them meetings or better yet discussions and invite administrators and students, instead of white administrators and colored students.

We were given differences so we could each contribute different perspectives and work together to find truth and peace, not so we could exploit those differences. Unfortunately, humans are imperfect and exploitations happen sometimes. But, let's not pretend it will happen every time or the exception has become the rule. And, let's not give up on there being some good white people left in the world. To do so is to give up on humanity in general, as white people and black people are both people.

I know you are suffering. I know some of you are honestly scared. I know I will never understand exactly what you are going through. I pray you find peace and healing. On the other hand, I also know there are white people who are scared and you will never understand what they are going through. However, taking my hand and calmly and respectfully explaining how you are feeling and then listening to how I am feeling will let us work together to find solutions and move forward, together.

Yin and Yang are different, but there is no such thing as pure yin or pure yang, each is affected by the other. You are affected by my existence, and I am affected by yours. We can continue to try to destroy each other and destroy ourselves in the process, or we can seek to live in balance and harmony. The choice, I'm afraid, is currently yours.